"Economy and severe self-denial formed a part of the education which the children received as their only legacy. They were taught that God designs life to be a discipline, and that their wants could be supplied only by personal labor, by forethought, care, and faith. The process was laborious and wearisome, but it was wholesome, just what man needs in his fallen state, the school which God has provided for his training and development." Great Controversy pg 67
We're ready GC at prayer meeting. We skimmed last night b/c the first party of PM took a little longer than usual. So when I got home Gavin and I read together the whole section that was covered. It's the Waldenses of course that she's talking about in the above quote. But here's what stood out to us:
"They were taught that God designs life to be a discipline, and that their wants could be supplied only by personal labor, by forethought, care, and faith."
It's a shame that that's a lesson that the general public can't be taught. Nothing in life is handed to you nor can one sit around and wait for God to take care of the things that he fully expects a capable human to do.
You won't see vegetables growing in your garden if you don't get out there and improve the soil and plant the seeds. While God promises to supply our needs, in most cases food will not be on your table unless you are working for it.
We can see clearly the example of what having things "handed to you" has done in both Welfare situations and the characters of the children of the super rich.
What do you want for your children?
"Parents, tender and affectionate as they were, loved their children too wisely to accustom them to self-indulgence. Before them was a life of trial and hardship, perhaps a martyr's death. They were educated from childhood to endure hardness, to submit to control, and yet to think and act for themselves. Very early they were taught to bear responsibilities, to be guarded in speech, and to understand the wisdom of silence."
I know what I want but the actual steps to take to attain it... that stumps me. We already know that my child will have a problem with the silence thing. How does one train for that?????
Self denial is hard enough, how do you teach your child while not seeming like a hypocrit?
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